Beyoncé and Kanye West lead the nominations for the BET Awards ’12, it was announced today at a press conference in New York.

The pop superstar scores six nominations overall at the 12th annual show. Her videos for “Countdown” and “Love on Top” will compete against Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Ni**as in Paris” and “Otis,” as well as Usher’s “Climax” in the coveted Video of the Year category.

West leads with seven nominations, most of them for his Watch the Throne collaborations with Jay-Z, who picks up five nods.

YMCMB’s Drake and Lil Wayne each earn four nominations including Best Male Hip-Hop Artist, while last year’s top nominee Chris Brown takes three.

Hip-hop freshmen A$AP Rocky, Big Sean, Diggy Simmons, Future, and Meek Mill will vie for Best New Artist. A$AP, Sean, and Diggy were on hand for the live announcement.

Brown and Best Female Hip-Hop Artist nominee Nicki Minaj will perform at the show, while the Cadillac Lifetime Achievement will be presented to Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, who will also take the stage.

Samuel L. Jackson will host the BET Awards ’12, which will air live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on July 1.